Stratascope
Ninkasi Brewing Company

 

Judging by the sediment floating all over the place from the bottle I drank, you'd be forgiven for thinking this is a hazy. It's not. It's actually a quite decent, seriously grapefruity bitter west coast IPA, featuring strata hops, that was let down (in this case) by too much gunk in the bottle. I'll give it another try, but for now due to that sediment, it's a downvoted score. I generally like Ninkasi's beers, so if I can bring myself to try another, and it's better, I'll edit this score.

 

 

nothing new at all from these guys coming around here of late, a shame, but i was happy to see this one, weird that its already kind of dated tasting, feel like it just arrived on the scene, but sometimes thats just how it goes. the beer has a lot of promise, but the obvious tiredness is a turnoff. its featuring strata as the name suggests, boy this hop is everywhere now. its one of the more bitter strata beers i have encountered so far, not sure if by design or a product of the fade, but this starts getting bitter about halfway through each sip and stays on the tongue that way for a minute after the swallow. its just a little malty too, more than is common and on trend these days, and i wonder the same thing about that aspect too, i will have to revisit this one for sure. i like the big stone fruit vibes this presents, some dried apricot, fresh peach, and summery citrus as well, but i also get a little over hopped harshness late and some green onion and stinky weed character i sometimes find in it. clean on the ferment which is nice, off dry at the end, and lightly oxidized at this point. i am not going to be too rough with scores on this for now, given how good these guys generally do with hops and how not fresh this obviously is, even though i didnt catch a date. will follow up in this space when i try it again, but it left me wanting its best self after i had one. not sure strata is amazing on its own, or even as the lead dry hop in a beer bittered with others, i have found it more dynamic and appealing when married up with other varietals in equal proportion, but thats just me...

 

12oz bottle poured into an oversized wine glass. Moderate gold with mellow haze, small head and lacing. Really smells and tastes like a Ninkasi signature brew (malt, C-hops) with Strata hops added in, which isn't a bad thing overall. Earthy hop notes for sure, with some grainy/piney flavors as well as some bitter stone fruit. Just fine, nothing special.

Slight haze on the orangey amber brew and plenty of foam in the tall goblet. Aroma of citrus. Mouthfeel is sudsy and very sharp. Quite fruity with a grapefruit peel finish. Some sweet malty taste.

Seriously bitter aftertaste. A murkier flavor than I like, especially considering how light the body is. At first sip I thought it was a hazy. From the tall can purchased at the supermarket. Date illegible.

 

Lightly hazed gold with three fingers of cream color head.
Smell is green lightly dank with some fruit.
Taste is green dank and fruity. Good malt support.
Mouthfeel is light medium with good carbonation. The finish is dry and mildly bitter.
Overall a decent IPA. Packaged on 4-27-21.

Look: Semi-clear burnt orange in color with a white head that billows and settles to a lid, leaving good lacing behind
Aroma: Ruby-red grapefruit, tangelos, diesel terpenes, peach, and bready malt in the background
Taste: Peach joins a citrus fruit salad and kick things off as waves of Cannabis notes – mainly diesel – again flood into the mix. Malt is present but just as a supporting cast, lending bready notes that appear throughout and closes with a light bite
Mouthfeel: Full, medium-high carbonation, and mildly dry on the finish
Overall: This is tasty stuff. I was impressed with this one and though I enjoy all of these folks’ offerings, I have really dug what the Strata hop brings to beer and this is a fine example of that. Citrus fruits, wafts of Cannabis, and some stone fruit in a well-made IPA and at 6.4% to boot? What’s not to like

 

Stove pipe can from Fred Meyer in South Salem.
$2.99
Pours a darker gold coloured body with a roicky/clingy cream coloured head.
Good strong, fresh hop aromas. Strawberry, orange zest, and a wee bit of old style dank .
Taste similar but maybe a bit more of the dank. But its still fruity mostly.
Mouth feel is rather weak I am afraid. Watery and too little carbonation. Thought the beer was old but its less than a month since canning.
This beer has some nice aspects but the mouth feel let it down.